Two plead guilty to stealing up to $100,000 worth of eyeglasses, handbags

Robert Davidson, 46, and Kenneth James, 43, of Quincy, both pleaded guilty yesterday to charges they were part of a "grab and run" ring that pillaged Copley Square stores last fall, the Suffolk County District Attorney's office reports.

The two were arrested last December when they failed to outrun guards and police after grabbing 15 Louis Vuitton bags at Saks Fifth Avenue and fleeing. Authorities said the bags were collectively worth $20,000.

The two were part of a large gang that grabbed several dozen pairs of Cartier sunglasses from the Optical Shop of Aspen on Newbury Street on Dec. 16, the DA's office says, adding prosecutors had images and text messages from James's cell phone showing his attempts to sell some of the glasses.

Davidson was sentenced to 1 1/2 to 2 years in jail; James, who has a record of armed-robbery convictions, got three to five years in state prison, the DA's office says.